The students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are bewildered by the sudden change in the timings of the dhabas on the campus. These outlets provide college students with affordable food and opportunities to gather and hang out, and some of the more popular ones used to stay open well into the wee hours of the morning.
However, the last ten days have seen the JNU security team crackdown on these dhabas, forcing them to shut shop by 11.00 am, claims N Sai Balaji, National President of the All India Students' Association (AISA).
Saket Moon, Vice-President of the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) tells us that during the phase-wise reopening of the campus after the lockdown was lifted early this year, the night curfew timing of 11.00 pm had been imposed on the dhabas as per the orders of the Department of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). "However, the DDMA has withdrawn these orders. The university administration is closing down the dhabas, and they are also ordering them to pay the rent for the months they were shut during the lockdown. This is being done in a bid to introduce private players," he claims.
When Edexlive reached out to some of the dhaba owners in JNU, they had varying tales of their recent experience with the administration. An owner of one such food stall, on the condition of anonymity, tells us that before the lockdown, he used to run his business up until 3.00 am, for students who stay up late, studying. "I was allocated this spot in 2004 by the administration, after a formal interview. I paid a deposit of Rs 15,000. I have the documents, and I renew the license every year. In 2015, an officer arrived, and said my stall is illegal, and I have been getting notices to shut it down since then. I pay all the bills. They haven't given me any reason. They still send me the bills, even after that notice in 2015. If I ask the students to support me, I will be accused of playing party politics, and they will rush to remove me. The administration had also said that they will allot some land for me to build a proper shop. That was 18 years ago. It still hasn't happened. They said they will waive the rent for the COVID period, but I am still being asked to pay Rs 56,000 as rent for that time," he details.
Another dhaba owner, who says he usually wraps up business by 11.00 pm anyway, says that he is being asked to pay the rent for the COVID period, but he doesn't have the means to do that, a concern that is echoed by yet another owner.
Sai adds that the security force was deploying intimidation to shut the dhabas by 11.00 pm, even without an official circular. "We cannot keep confronting the security, because they will send us a notice. And neither can we approach the administration because they haven't issued any circular," he says.
In a chat with Edexlive on the sidelines of The New Indian Express' ThinkEdu Conclave in March, JNU's new Vice-Chancellor Prof Santishree Pandit had claimed that a majority of these dhabas were "illegal". "I want to have these run by women's Self Help Groups instead, in a bid to bolster women's empowerment," she had claimed.
However, the students argue that these dhabas are run by simple working-class people whose livelihoods would be affected by such measures. "What is the need to uproot the existing owners?" they ask.
The students also say that restriction on the timings of these dhabas is also a question of the democracy of public space. "If they wish to introduce changes, they should call an Academic Council meeting, consult with the relevant stakeholders and then make a decision. Instead, they are trying to change the democracy of the campus," claims Sai.
The students also claim that the owners of these dhabas, including Ganga Dhaba, which is one of the most popular ones on campus and used to stay open until 3.00 am, understand the needs of the students. "This is a research university. Students return late at night from the library after studying and they get hungry. Grabbing an affordable bite at Ganga Dhaba and heading off to sleep is an elementary thing. If these dhabas are shut at that time, we'll have to venture out, or order online, which will cost us at least Rs 200," claims a student.
During the chat with Edexlive, Prof Pandit had hailed the "dharamsala" nature of the JNU campus and its "very strong commitment to the downtrodden and to the poor." However, she had also gone on to say that JNU is a "sociological island" that can make one "delusional". "It is only when you step out that you realise there is no free meal," said Prof Pandit.
While the dhaba owners and students both wait for some clarity on the matter from the administration, we did reach out to the VC for a fresh comment. This article will be updated if and when she responds.
